Sectional case



Feb. 23, 1943. ANDERSON 2,311,723

SEGTIONAL CASE Filed Aug. 23, 1941 AT TORNEY.

Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE SEGTIONAL CASE Tillman R. Anderson, Viroqua, Wis. Application August 2a, 1941, Serial No. 408,038 (c1. 21-1-29) IClaim.

This invention relates to improvements in sectional cases.

Although the'invention is not to be limited in its application to a particular field or industry, as will be mentioned hereinafter, it has special utility in connection with the holding and transporting of bottled goods.

For the vending of bottled beverages and stores and to purchase and take with them a package or container holding six bottles of the desired beverage. To meet this contingency the bottlers and vendors have been in the practice of providing six-bottle fiberboard containers or carriers so that the purchaser may readily transport to his residence the purchased six bottles of the beverage, whereupon the fiberboard container or carrier is discarded. It has been found, however, that notwithstanding the convenience of this mode of vending the half dozen bottles of beverage, the six bottle containers or carriers become a very appreciable expense item to the manufacturer or bottling establishment.

In the past there has been some attempt made to eliminate the expense of the discardable fiberboard six bottle containers or carriers by the provision of six bottle carrying metallic inserts disposed within a two dozen bottle wooden case and removable so that a purchaser at a retail establishment may readily transport the metal insert with six bottles therein. This procedure requires the return of the metal inserts, requires additional handling at the bottling plant, adds materially to the weight of the filled two dozen bottle case, and at present, due to the scarcity of metal for purposes of this kind, this practice is both expensive and impractical.

With the above objections and diiiiculties in mind the present invention seeks to overcome the same by the provision of a sectional two dozen bottle case which may, by a simple manipulation, be divided into four individual six bottle caselets which purchasers may take with them from the retail establishment.

With the device of the present invention it is proposed that the bottling establishment will deliver the bottled beverages to a retail establishment in the improved sectional cases, each of which holds two dozen bottles, as is the standard present practice, and each of which is shaped and has dimensions corresponding exactly to the wooden cases now in use.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a sectional two dozen bottle case which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is extremely rigid and secure when the component sections are assembled and secured together.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a sectional case in which the component sections are held together by a simple central fixture and which requires no inserts or other containers for the packaging of a lesser amount of the commodity than is delivered in the entire case.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sectional bottle case which may be easily subdivided into four individual caselets whereby a customer, at a retail establishment, may take with him a complete easily handled six bottle caselet, which may ultimately be returned to the retailer for re-assembly with other similar caselets to provide a complete two dozen bottle case.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sectional case which is easily sub-divided and re-assembled, which is strong and durable, which, when assembled, is rigid and secure, which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is neat and attractive in appearance, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved sectional case and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved sectional case in its assembled condition;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary bottom view of the central portion of the assembled sectional case;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the central fixture for holding the sections of the case in assembled condition; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the sec tions of the main case, which when separated from its companion sections provides an individual transportable six bottle caselet.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it will appear that the invention, for purposes of illustration, is embodied in a two dozen bottle case indicated generally by the numeral III. This case is preferably formed of wood, or a similar rigid material and in assembled condition is of standard outside dimensions. The complete large case I is formed by four complementary open top rectangular sections or caselets ll. Each caselet has vertical side walls 42, vertical end walls l3, and a bottom l4. Each section or caselet II has separated upper corner portions on the same side provided with right angularly extending shouldered recesses I5. Similarly the bottom of each section or caselet II on the same side has a diagonal comer bottom wall opening l6 therein.

When four individual sections II are to be assembled they are disposed relative to one another in the manner shown in Fig. 1 so that all of the shouldered recesses l5 and bottom wall openings IE will lie adjacent the longitudinal median of the assembled case. As a practical matter only, those shouldered recesses and bottom wall openings which are disposed in adjacency at the central portion of the case are utilized, but the additional recesses and openings are provided in the various sections so that the case sections may be assembled indiscriminately to form the larger case. As will be noted from Fig. 1, when the caselets are assembled, four of the bottom corner diagonal openings IE will register in adjacency to form a large diamond-shaped opening, and likewise four of the upper shouldered recesses I5 will register with one another to form a central diagonal large shouldered recess at the upper central portion of the case.

Four assembled sections or caselets l i are held together to form a connected and integral large case (in the specific embodiment a two dozen bottle case) by meansof a simple single metallic fixture illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. This fixture includes a metallic bottom plate I1, generally of square formation with chamfered corners and having, adjacent said comer portions, integral upstanding posts Ill. The bottom plate I! is adapted to lodge within the central diamond-shaped bottom opening in the assembled case formed by the mating diagonal bottom openings I6, and each post l8 enters a corner diagonal slot or aperture IS in an independent caselet or section ll.

Secured to and extending centrally vertically from the bottom plate I I is an elongated rod l9 adapted to be accommodated within the vertical cervice or slot formed exteriorly of the adjacent inner corners of the four companion sections II. This rod l9 terminates adjacent the upper edge of the case l0 and the upper portion thereof is screw threaded as at 20. The upper portion of the rod is adapted to removably carry an upper metallic plate 2|. Said upper plate is shaped similarly to the lower plate I! and is adapted to seat within the diamond-shaped shouldered recess formed in the central top portion of the assembled case by the mating shouldered recesses IS. The top metallic plate 2| carries short depending vertical pins 22 which, for clamping purposes, are adapted to impinge against and clampingly engage central corner portions of the sections Ii. This clamping engagement of the pins 22, as well as that of the lower pins I8, takes place when the case sections 1 I are assembled as described, with the fixture located as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, after a winged nut 23 has been turned down on the threaded upper extremity of the rod I 9.

From the foregoing description it will be evident, therefore, that a sectional large case, or the two dozen bottle case, is composed of four complementary sections or caselets ll, each having a capacity of six bottles, and the four sections being rigidly held to ether by means of the simple central fixture of Fig. 4 wherein the bottom plate posts l8 engage apertures in the corner bottom portions of the assembled caselets and the top plate 2| lodges in the combined central upper shouldered recess so that its posts 22 may clampingly impinge in the adjacent interior corners of the caselets. The assembled structure is extremely rigid and serves the purpose of an integral large or two dozen bottle case, as in standard practice. Assembled caselets of this type ar filled with bottled goods in the plant or bottling establishment and are delivered to retail establishments. Should a prospective purchaser appear at a retail, establishment and desire a. six bottle package of bottled goods, it is only necessary for the clerk or retailer to loosen and remove the nut 23 and top plate 2| of the central fixture, whereupon one or all of the caselets or sections. making up a complete case, may be separated or disengaged. The purchaser, desiring a six bottle package, is then provided with an individual caselet l l, which he may easily handle and transport to his home for the object of consuming the contents thereof. As will be noted from the drawing, handle recesses 24 are provided in the end walls of each caselet or section.

It is of course the usual practice for the purchaser to return the empty bottles to the store. With the present invention these empty bottles are disposed in an individual caselet II and the entire package is thus returned to the retailer, who eventually re-assembles four sections into a completed case filled with empties, which ultimately goes back to the bottling plant.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the improved sectional case is of simple and novel construction and it is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is:

A relatively large composite case of rectangular outline, comprising four similar, rectangular, rigid, box-like sections, said sections being positioned relative to one another so that inner vertical corner portions of all of the same are in juxtaposition, all of the adjacent corner portions of the sections on one side of the case having shouldered recesses with all of said recesses combining to form a large shouldered central recess, and a central clamping fixture, said fixture including a rod extending along the vertical axis of the composite case, one end portion of the rod carrying a clamping element releasably engaging adjacent corner portions of the case sections on one side of the composite case, and the other end portion of said rod carrying a plate seating in said large central recess and impinging against shoulder portions thereof, said plate also having elements engaging corner portions of the case sections.

TILLMAN R. ANDERSON. 

